Home Care

Selfhelp Community Services operates a licensed not-for-profit home care program that employs over 1800 home
health aides who provide more than 2 million hours of care each year. From skilled nursing to assistance with bathing,
grooming, housekeeping, preparing meals and performing other daily chores, our home care program makes it possible
for tens of thousands of New York seniors to continue to live independently in the communities they call home.
Our home care clients are also able to access community-based social services provided by Selfhelp.

If you want to learn more about our home care program or are in need of services for yourself or a loved one,
please contact us.

Selfhelp's home care programs are licensed and certified through the New York State Department of Health. We are active board members of the New York State Home Care Association where we serve on various board related committees. Our home care programs are accredited by the Community Health Accrediting Program (CHAP). The accreditation process includes on site surveyors who assess daily home care operations through staff, client, and board interview to ensure that standards are met. CHAP sets the standards for community health accreditation and we are proud to receive their approval.

Registered Nurses review the medical needs of clients, in consultation with their doctors, evaluate their home care requirements, and manage their care plans, including seamless transitions to new levels of care, when necessary.

Social Workers evaluate clients' social and emotional needs, helping identify and manage community resources and provide overall strategies and support for ongoing care.

Home Care Aides perform light household tasks such as laundry, meal preparation, general housekeeping and shopping, as well as assist with getting out of bed, walking, bathing, grooming, dressing, medication management and wound care, when needed.

Whether you have government coverage and are referred to us by a case management agency or pay privately for home health care, every Selfhelp client has access to our full range of community-based services and our experienced and compassionate caregivers.

Homemaking & Housekeeping Services

Homemaking Program

Selfhelp provides nearly 600,000 hours of child-focused home care each year to at-risk families in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, so they can remain together in their own homes. Homemakers provide critical support to families, including parenting, life management, and money skills for parents, and homework help for the children. Our Homemaking Program is funded by, and all referrals are made through, New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).

Housekeeping Program

Each year, we provide over 250,000 hours of housekeeping services to elderly and frail New Yorkers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx who experience trouble maintaining their own homes safely. Housekeepers clean and perform light chores for people who are not able to clean, prepare their own meals, shop or do other errands. The Housekeeping Program is funded by, and receives referrals through, the New York City Human Resource Administration (HRA).

Selfhelp Community Services Training Programs

Selfhelp’s Home Health Aide (HHA) and Personal Care Aide (PCA) training programs are approved by the New York State Department of Health and are provided free of charge. Students attend core curriculum trainings in the classroom, and then progress to the laboratory to learn clinical skills, and conclude with field training in clients’ homes.

Upon graduation from our two training programs, qualified Selfhelp aides will be offered employment at our organization. Continuous in-service training and classes are offered so aides can keep up to date on the newest health care practices, enhance their skills, and fulfill ongoing certification requirements.

For HHA/PCAs who are already certified, Selfhelp offers weekly skills testing. Please call us at 212-971-7714 to schedule an assessment.

Participants in this program will receive 75 hours of training, including a minimum of 59 hours of classroom instruction, eight (8) hours of practical training in a lab setting, and eight (8) hours of field training in a patient care setting.

Classes are available in both English and Spanish. The English language class includes approximately fourteen (14) days of instruction, with lab training and one (1) full day in the field. The Spanish class is approximately nineteen (19) days of class, including two (2) hours of English as a Second Language (ESL) daily and one (1) full day in the field.

Please call us at 212-971-7714 to learn more or to register for this training.

Personal Care Aide Training Program

Participants in this program will receive forty (40) hours of basic personal care training, in both classroom and lab settings. The class is approximately 8 days in total, and is offered in English.

Please call us at 212-971-7714 to learn more or to register for this training.

Home Care FAQ

What is home care?

The terms "home care" and "home health care" are used interchangeably to refer to skilled clinical treatments, such as nursing, physical therapy or medication management, that are provided at home, as opposed to at a hospital or rehabilitation center. These terms are also used to describe a variety of non-medical services that support people at home, such as homemaking, housekeeping, personal care and household chores.

Who sets standards and regulates home care?

Both New York State and the federal government set standards and regulate home care. Home care agencies and programs differ in the services they provide and the state agency that oversees their operation. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) sets standards for and regulates all home care agencies that provide health or medically-related services to people in their homes.

DOH and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) jointly regulate agencies participating in the Medicare program. DOH regulations and standards require that home care providers meet the same standards relating to agency establishment, paraprofessional training, quality of care and consumer protection standards including service delivery and personnel requirements.

Who Pays for these Home Care Services?

Medicare
Most Americans older than 65 are eligible for the federally funded Medicare program. If an individual is homebound, under a physician's care, and requires medically necessary skilled services, they may be eligible for services provided by a Medicare-certified home health agency like Selfhelp. Medicare may pay for skilled nursing; physical, occupational, and speech therapies; medical social work; Personal Care Aide (PCA) services; and medical equipment and supplies. The referring physician must authorize the patient's plan of care.

Medicaid
Medicaid is a joint federal-state medical assistance program for low-income individuals. Medicaid provides coverage for home health services and must include part-time nursing, PCA services, and medical supplies and equipment. Medicaid also covers audiology, physical, occupational and speech therapies, and medical social services.

Managed Care Organizations
Commercial health insurance companies typically cover some home care services for acute needs, but benefits for long-term services vary from plan to plan. Most commercial and private insurance plans will cover comprehensive hospice services, including nursing, social work, therapies, personal care, medications, and medical supplies and equipment. Cost-sharing varies with individual policies, but often is not required. Individuals sometimes find it necessary to purchase Medigap insurance or long-term care insurance policies for additional home care coverage.

Medigap
This insurance is designed to bridge some of the gaps in Medicare coverage. Some Medigap policies offer at-home recovery benefits, which pay for some personal care services when the policyholder is receiving Medicare-covered skilled home health services.

Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance was intended to protect individuals from the catastrophic expense of a lengthy stay in a nursing home. As the need and preference for home care has grown, private long-term care insurance policies have expanded their coverage of personal care, companionship, and other in-home services.

Private Pay
Home Care services can be arranged for individuals who are interested in paying privately for Selfhelp Home Care Services. These can include anything from service a few hours per day or a few days a week, to provide relief to a caregiver, to seven day a week care for safety, comfort, and peace of mind.

How do I determine what level of service my family member needs? What if circumstances change? How can I be sure the services will remain appropriate?

Our care professionals work as a team to provide a multi-disciplinary approach for our clients. A Selfhelp registered nurse or social worker performs in-home assessments and consults with a physician or managed care plan, as needed, to develop a care plan which is customized for each client. We provide ongoing in-home support and, should your condition change, we will modify care plans accordingly.